Fabric blend containing bamboo and merino wool

ABSTRACT

Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a fabric blend for insulating, wicking moisture, and preventing bacterial growth. The fabric blend may include bamboo yarn, merino wool yarn, and elastane thread, wherein the bamboo yarn, the merino wool yarn, and the elastane thread are blended together to form a fabric. The materials may be woven or knitted together. In a particular embodiment, the fabric blend may include about 67% bamboo, about 28% merino wool, and about 5% elastane.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to provisional patent application U.S.Ser. No. 62/027,674 filed on Jul. 22, 2014, the entire contents of whichis herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The embodiments herein relate generally to textiles, and moreparticularly, to a fabric blend comprising bamboo and merino wool.

The human body is inefficient at protecting itself from the elements.The body's inability to insulate itself leads to shivering or sweatingas a way of regulating its core temperature. Side effects of sweatinginclude bacteria build-up on clothing, odors, dampness, feeling too hotor too cold, itchiness, and chafing. Shivering interrupts motor skillsand causes the body to exert extra energy in an effort to generatewarmth.

Conventional fabrics are not ideal to wear on the human body. Duringsweat-related activities, these fabrics fail to sufficiently insulate orwick moisture, breed bacteria, smell when they come into contact withsweat, and are sourced from non-renewable fibers. Conventional fabricblends are made from fibers that, once they get sweaty, smell bad, losetheir shape, chafe, and stay damp.

Therefore, what is needed is a fabric blend for insulating the body,wicking moisture away from the skin, and preventing the growth ofbacteria.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a fabric blend forinsulating, wicking moisture, and preventing bacterial growth. Thefabric blend may include bamboo yarn, merino wool yarn, and elastanethread, wherein the bamboo yarn, the merino wool yarn, and the elastanethread are blended together to form a fabric. The materials may be wovenor knitted together. In a particular embodiment, the fabric blend mayinclude about 67% bamboo, about 28% merino wool, and about 5% elastane.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

In the following detailed description of the invention, numerousdetails, examples, and embodiments of the invention are described.However, it will be clear and apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth and that theinvention can be adapted for any of several applications.

The fabric blend of the present disclosure may be used to createclothing configured to insulate the body, wick moisture away from theskin, and prevent the growth of bacteria and may comprise the followingelements. This list of possible constituent elements is intended to beexemplary only, and it is not intended that this list be used to limitthe fabric blend of the present application to just these elements.Persons having ordinary skill in the art relevant to the presentdisclosure may understand there to be equivalent elements that may besubstituted within the present disclosure without changing the essentialfunction or operation of the device.

-   -   1. Bamboo Yarn    -   2. Merino Wool Yarn    -   3. Elastane Thread

The various elements of the fabric blend of the present disclosure maybe related in the following exemplary fashion. It is not intended tolimit the scope or nature of the relationships between the variouselements and the following examples are presented as illustrativeexamples only.

By way of example, some embodiments of the invention include a fabricblend comprising a blend of bamboo, such as bamboo manufactured from achemical process, and merino wool. Some embodiments further compriseelastane thread. For example, bamboo yarn, merino wool yarn, andelastane thread may be knitted or woven together to form a fabric. Insome embodiments, the materials may be knitted together in interlockingand jersey knits, although other knits and weaves are also envisioned,wherein the knitted components may result in either a weft-knitted orwarp-knitted fabric. The fabric may then be formed into clothing,blankets, or other items conventionally made of fabric.

The amount of each component may vary depending on the desired outcomeof the fabric. In some embodiments, the fabric blend may comprise agreater amount of bamboo than merino wool, while in other embodiments,the fabric blend may comprise a greater amount of merino wool thanbamboo. The elastane may comprise the smallest percentage. Inembodiments, the fabric blend may comprise from about 60 to about 75%bamboo, from about 15 to about 30% merino wool, and from about 1 toabout 8% elastane, wherein all percentages are weight percentages basedon a total weight of the fabric blend. For example, in a particularembodiment, the fabric blend may comprise about 67% bamboo, about 28%merino wool, and about 5% elastane. The weight of the resulting fabricmay vary from a lightweight fabric of about 150 grams per square meter(gsm) to a heaver fabric of about 280 gsm.

As a result of the bamboo/merino wool blend, a resulting fabric may bemoisture-wicking, insulating, soft, durable, and antibacterial, whilealso being formed from renewable fibers. Specifically, the fabric mayinsulate the body, allowing the body to regulate its core temperaturemore efficiently. The fabric may also wick moisture away from the skin,minimizing dampness. Moreover, bamboo's natural properties help preventthe growth of bacteria, thereby reducing sweat-related odors.

Persons of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that numerous designconfigurations may be possible to enjoy the functional benefits of theinventive systems. Thus, given the wide variety of configurations andarrangements of embodiments of the present invention the scope of theinvention is reflected by the breadth of the claims below rather thannarrowed by the embodiments described above.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fabric blend for insulating, wicking moisture,and preventing bacterial growth, the fabric blend comprising: bambooyarn; merino wool yarn; and elastane thread, wherein the bamboo yarn,the merino wool yarn, and the elastane thread are blended together toform a fabric.
 2. The fabric blend of claim 1, wherein the fabric blendcomprises from about 60 to about 75% bamboo yarn.
 3. The fabric blend ofclaim 1, wherein the fabric blend comprises from about 15 to about 30%merino wool yarn.
 4. The fabric blend of claim 1, wherein the fabricblend comprises from about 1 to about 8% elastane thread.
 5. The fabricblend of claim 1, wherein the fabric blend comprises: about 67% bambooyarn; about 28% merino wool yarn; and about 5% elastane thread.
 6. Thefabric blend of claim 1, wherein the bamboo yarn, the merino wool yarn,and the elastane thread are woven together to form the fabric.
 7. Thefabric blend of claim 1, wherein the fabric blend has a weight of fromabout 150 grams per square meter (gsm) to about 280 gsm.